MIYAVI | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Miyavi in 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Takamasa Ishihara (石原 崇雅,Ishihara Takamasa) |
| Also known as | |
| Born | (1981-09-14)September 14, 1981 (age 43)[5] |
| Origin | Konohana-ku,Osaka, Japan |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor |
| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1997–present |
| Labels | |
| Member of | |
| Formerly of | |
| Spouse | |
| Website | myv382tokyo |
Takamasa Ishihara (石原 崇雅,Ishihara Takamasa, born September 14, 1981),[8][5] better known by his stage nameMiyavi (雅,Miyabi, stylized inall caps),[5] is a Japanese guitarist, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor known for hisfinger-slapping style of playing a guitar.[7][9]
He has been active since 1999, first as guitarist for thevisual kei rock bandDué le Quartz and then as a solo artist starting in 2002. In 2007, he became a member of the rock supergroupS.K.I.N. and in 2009 founded his own company, J-glam. He toured worldwide several times. In 2022, he became a member of the rock supergroupThe Last Rockstars.
In 2014, Miyavi appeared in the motion pictureUnbroken, directed byAngelina Jolie, and went on to undertake smaller roles in American productions such asKong: Skull Island andStray. Since 2013, Miyavi has been a volunteer atUNHCR, visiting refugee camps around the world.[10] In November 2017, he was appointed an officialGoodwill Ambassador.[11]
Miyavi was born in the Nishikujō district inKonohana-ku ward, Osaka,Osaka Prefecture, to aJapanese mother and a Korean father.[12] After the first grade, he moved toKawanishi. His father's family, surnamedLee, came fromJeju Island.[13] Miyavi says that as a child he was a good student and enjoyed playingfootball.[12] He was accepted into the junior team ofCerezo Osaka, aJ-League team.[14] In the second year of junior high school, a sports injury prevented him from pursuing a professional career in sports. Instead, at the age of fifteen, he learned to play the guitar.[15] He bought a guitar and began covering songs byRay Charles.[16]
He was particularly fond ofvisual kei acts such asX Japan andLuna Sea but also listened to theblues,Motown,hard rock such asMetallica andL.A. Guns, andindustrial music such asNine Inch Nails.[15][16] In his third year of junior high school, he started playing with his first band, a visual kei group named Loop.[15]
In 1999, at the age of 17, Miyavi moved toTokyo,[17] and joined the visual kei rock bandDué le Quartz, where he went by the stage name "Miyabi". Besides being a guitarist, he wrote lyrics, composed, and arranged.[18] When the band split up in 2002, he started his solo career and changed his name to Miyavi. He signed a contract with the independent record labelPS Company, and on October 31, his debut studio albumGagaku was released. Before the end of the year three more singles were released: "Shindemo Boogie-Woogie", "Pop Is Dead" and "Jingle Bell", of which only the third managed to enter the top forty on theOricon charts.[19] Miyavi also starred alongside his former bandmate Sakito in a movie,Ryōma no Tsuma to Sono Otto to Aijin.[20][21]
On April 23, 2003, his first solo concert was held at theShibuya Public Hall.[18] Three singles were released: "Jibun Kakumei", "Tariraritarara", and "Coo quack cluck (Ku. Ku. Ru)", which charted as numbers forty, thirty, and forty-two respectively on Oricon.[19] On December 2, his second studio album,Galyuu, was released; it charted forty-fourth.[22]
In 2004, he starred as himself in the filmOresama.[23] In February he went on his first solo tour,Tokyo Dassou, and in July additional dates were added in Korea and Taiwan.[18] In June his seventh single, "Ashita, Genki Ni Naare", was released, which charted twenty-second,[19] and number one on the indies chart.[24] In August a small, free, fan-club-only event was organized inTokyo Dome, and on the 31st he held his last indie concert at theNippon Budokan.[18] In October, he signed a major contract withUniversal Music Group, but was still co-managed by PS Company. This was followed by the release of his first major (double) single, "Rock no Gyakushuu"/"21sekikei Koushinkyoku", which entered the top ten on the charts.[19]
During May 2005 another single, "Freedom Fighters -Icecream wo Motta Hadashi no Megami to, Kikanjuu wo Motta Hadaka no Ousama-", was released, which charted tenth,[19] and on June 1, his first major album,Miyavizm, was released. It was his first album to enter the top ten in the charts.[22] It was followed by the third major single, "Kekkon Shiki Uta"/"Are You Ready to Rock?", which is his best charting single, along with "Dear My Friend"/"Itoshii Hito", released in 2006; both reached number six.[19] In December he performed at the firstPeace & Smile Carnival organized by PS Company.[18]
In late 2005 and for most of 2006, Miyavi shifted to an acoustic/pop sound[15] reflected in his second and third major albums,MYV Pops andMiyaviuta: Dokusō, released on August 2 and September 13 respectively. They charted at fifteenth and twenty-fifth.[22] The first album singles, "Señor Señora Señorita"/"Gigpig Boogie" and "Kimi ni Negai o", are not different in style. They charted as tenth and twenty-sixth respectively.[19] Miyavi showcased his newacoustic style for the first time in the25 Shūnen Kinen Koen concert series held atTokyo Geijutsu Gekijo for five days in September around his 25th birthday.[25] Miyavi left for America for the next six months to study the English language, take dance classes, and give street performances on the weekends atVenice Beach.[16]
On February 17, Miyavi, having been invited by the break dancer Mr. Freeze,[26] performed with the local DJ and percussionist at his first solo concert in the United States, at the Tabu Ultra Lounge in theMGM Grand,Las Vegas.[27] On May 25, at theJRock Revolution concert organized byYoshiki at theWiltern Theatre inLos Angeles, it was officially announced that Miyavi would be a member of a band namedS.K.I.N.[28] On June 29, the band held their debut and their only concert atAnime Expo inLong Beach, California.[29][30]
In June, Miyavi's seventh major single (and 14th overall), "Sakihokoru Hana no you ni (Neo Visualizm)"/"Kabuki Danshi", was released in Japan, which charted as twelfth.[19] In July, a remixedextended play,7 Samurai Sessions -We're Kavki Boiz-, was released, which includes re-arrangements of his past songs. It charted as forty-fourth.[22] It was followed by Miyavi's nationwide tour, which started on July 16. He also performed at Animagic inBonn,Germany,[31] and inSeoul,South Korea.[13] In November, his tenth major single was released, "Subarashikikana, Kono Sekai - What A Wonderful World",[32] which charted as thirteenth.[19]
On January 16, 2008, his ninth major single was released, "Hi no Hikari Sae Todokanai Kono Basho De", on which he collaborated with fellow Skin guitaristSugizo.[33] It is his third single to enter the top ten.[19] On March 19, his fourth major studio album was released, titled,This Iz the Japanese Kabuki Rock,[34] which charted as twenty-fifth.[22] In May, it was followed by his very first worldwide tour,This Iz The Japanese Kabuki Rock Tour 2008, with 33 concerts in the United States, Chile, Brazil, Germany, England, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Finland, France, Taiwan, South Korea, mainland China and Japan.[35][36][37][38][39][40][41] The tour covered a distance of approximately 48,385 miles, equivalent to almost two trips around the world, and the majority of the concerts were sold out and covered extensively by media organizations. It was the most successful international tour undertaken by a Japanese artist in history.[42] On June 27, a compilation album,Azn Pride -This Iz the Japanese Kabuki Rock-, was released in Korea and Taiwan, later also in Japan, which charted as forty-fourth.[22] In September, he performed inBeijing.[18] On December 24, aremix album was released,Room No. 382, which failed to enter the top hundred.[22]
In 2009, on January 3, Miyavi performed at the10th Anniversary Commemorative concert by PS Company at theNippon Budokan.[43] On April 5, Miyavi left the PS Company because their ten-year contract expired, and on April 8 launched his own company, J-glam inc., of which he is the president. On April 22, a compilation album was released,Victory Road to the King of Neo Visual Rock,[44] which includes all his major singles with Universal Group. On June 1, "Super Hero," a new song, was released through his officialMyspace,[45] and in September his International Fanclub was opened.[46] On September 19, Miyavi started his second worldwide tour,Neo Tokyo Samurai Black 2009/2010, inMoscow,Russia.[47] He held 17 concerts in Europe, visitingAustria,Hungary andItaly for the first time.[47][48] The tour immediately continued in South America, with concerts inBrazil,Argentina,Chile andMexico. The United States leg was canceled due to illness and an injury,[49] but Miyavi managed to perform in November atAnime Matsuri,Texas.[50] On December 31, he signed a new contract withEMI Music Japan.[49]
On March 10, 2010, his first single with EMI was released, "Survive", viaiTunes.[51] The worldwide tour was continued on March 28, with the concert at Human Stage, Okinawa, and nationwide. In June and early July he toured throughout theUnited States andCanada,[52][53] and in October for the first time inAustralia.[54] On September 15, his eleventh major single was released, "Torture". On October 13, his fifth studio album was released,What's My Name?, which charted as twenty-sixth.[22] On November 6, he performed at theEMI Rocks 50th anniversary event at theSaitama Super Arena.[55]
In March 2011, a new world tour, titledWhat's My Name?, began in Europe, with his first visit toBelgium.[56] In April the tour continued in Japan, while in July Miyavi performed in France, and in September at the Mount Taishan MAO Rock Festival in China.[citation needed] In May 2011, a live album,Live in London 2011, was released, which was recorded during theLondon concert in March.[57] On October 5, his twelfth major single, "Strong", was released, in collaboration with Japanese rapperKreva. It was followed by the North American leg of the tour.[58] Miyavi performed in South America at the Maquinaria festival in Chile,[59] and visitedVenezuela,Peru andColombia for the first time.[60]
In 2012, Miyavi performed on February 19 at the secondEMI Rocks event inSaitama Super Arena.[61] On June 29, he performed at the EHZ Festival inHelette,[62] while on June 30, he was the only Asian representative at theMain Square Festival inArras, France.[63] On July 11, his thirteenth major single, "Day 1", was released in collaboration with the French electronic producer and DJYuksek. In August, he performed at the Kubana Festival in Russia.[64] On September 8, Miyavi performed at the 908 Festival, organized by Kreva, in Saitama Super Arena.[65] In October two concerts were held inIndonesia.[66][67] On November 14,Samurai Sessions vol.1, his second EP, was released, which featured collaboration with various artists, and it was followed by a short nationwide tour.[68][69][70] It reached 21 on the Oricon charts.[22]
On February 28, 2013, "Ahead of the Light", Miyavi's fourteenth single, was released; a promotional tour of the same name followed.[71][72] On June 19, his seventh studio album,Miyavi, was released in Japan, reaching number eight on the Oricon charts.[22]
On October 12, 2013, it was announced that Miyavi would venture into professional acting with his international debut in the filmUnbroken. He played the role ofImperial Japanese Army sergeantMutsuhiro Watanabe, nicknamed "The Bird", in what wasAngelina Jolie's second feature film as director.[9] It was released in December 2014.[73] Miyavi commented that as the movie was somewhat sensitive to the Japanese people, he had hesitated as to whether he should take this role. However, after meeting with Jolie, and given that the underlying theme of this story is forgiveness, he decided to accept it.[74][75] Miyavi was featured in the same month's edition ofVogue Italia.[76]
In 2013, Miyavi was nominated for theMTV Europe Music Award for Best Japanese Act,[77] and at theMTV Video Music Awards Japan he won the Best Collaboration category with Yuksek.[78] In 2014, the music video of "Horizon" was nominated for the Best Male Video at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan.[79]
In 2014, Miyavi went on his fourth world tour, "Slap the World", which started on February 22 inMalaysia. He continued throughout Europe, followed by the European release of his latest studio album, and visited Mexico City and Los Angeles, with United States release of the album, before returning to Japan for a nationwide tour.[80] Miyavi composed the music for the single "Top of the World" bySMAP, which topped the Oricon singles charts.[81] On August 25, he performed for the first time atFuji Rock Festival.[81] On September 9, his new single "Real?" was released, on which Miyavi collaborated withJam and Lewis andJeff Blue, and also the live video recording from the world tour.[82][83]
His next albumThe Others was released on April 15, 2015, produced byGrammy Award winningDrew Ramsey andShannon Sanders. The song "Alien Girl" was dedicated toAngelina Jolie, while his title song, "The Others" was later released in a different version to supportUNHCR.[84][85] The album ranked 10th onOricon[86] and was followed by a two-part nationwide tour, a Europe tour (his fifth on the continent) and a concert in South Korea.[87][88]
On April 29, Miyavi released a digital single, "Afraid to Be Cool"/"Raise Me Up".[89] His next album,Fire Bird came out on August 31, 2016,[90] and ranked 11th on Oricon.[86] The artist followed it up with a nationwide tourMIYAVI Japan Tour 2016 "NEW BEAT, NEW FUTURE", which included 10 stops.[89] The last performance was held atMakuhari Messe, and was broadcast live onAbema TV, with more than 100,000 viewers watching.[91]
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In 2017, he played a cameo role in the movieKong: Skull Island.[92][93] In February, the singer revealed a North American and European tour. As a part of Live Nation'sAsia on Tour, Miyavi performed in 14 cities, includingVancouver,San Francisco,Los Angeles,New York City andToronto. He embarked on a solo international tour entitled Fire Bird World Tour. The tour began inSeoul on February 29 and ended inBerlin on May 10, with shows in countries includingAustria,Hungary,Germany,Italy,France and theUnited Kingdom.[94] In March, Miyavi performed atSouth by Southwest for the first time in his career.[95] On March 29, he released a digital single titled "Live to Die Another Day", which is the theme song of the live-action filmBlade of the Immortal.[96] To commemorate his 15th year as a solo artist, Miyavi embarked on a Japanese tour—MIYAVI 15th Anniversary Live "NEO TOKYO 15" started on May 21, with Miyavi releasing an anniversary compilation album,All Time Best: Day 2, on April 5.[97]
In 2018, Miyavi covered "Pink Spider" for theHide tribute albumTribute Impulse,[98] and was also cast asByakuya Kuchiki in the live-action film adaptation ofBleach.[99] On February 23, 2019, Miyavi performed an album release concert forSamurai Sessions Vol. 3: Worlds Collide at theEl Rey Theatre in Los Angeles with guest performersDuckwrth,Mikky Ekko,Che’nelle, andYuna.[100][101] On March 1, 2019, the supernatural action filmStray[102] was released in the U.S., featuring Miyavi in the villain role of Jin. In April 2019, Miyavi performed a headlining concert atAnime Boston.[103] In October, it was announced thatKyoto-basedsake brewery Tsuki no katsura (月の桂) launches a new product named after Miyavi.[104]
On December 18, 2019, it was announced during an event held atZepp DiverCity Tokyo that Miyavi would transfer to Japanese talent companyLDH Japan, starting in January 2020.[105][106] Miyavi, who had been independently active in the music industry for 10 years, explained his decision by mentioning that during those years he often wished for friends to work with and that he resonated with LDH's values, especially their approach to international expansion. He also announced that he would release two solo albums in 2020 and was planning a Japan tour.[107][108][109][110]
On February 14, 2020, it was revealed that Miyavi would release one album before theTokyo Olympics in summer and one afterwards. The first album,Holy Nights, was released on April 22 and accompanied by a national tour titledMIYAVI“Holy Nights”JAPAN TOUR 2020.[111][112]
He provided the ending song for the animeID:Invaded.[113] The series also used his songs "Up", "Samurai 45", and "Butterfly".
Miyavi performed in Japan Expo Malaysia 2020 Goes Virtual on July 19, 2020.[114]
In 2021, Miyavi made his voice acting debut as the character Kōketsu in the anime filmBright: Samurai Soul.[115] In November 2022, Miyavi was announced as a member of the supergroupThe Last Rockstars, along with fellow musicians Yoshiki,Hyde, and Sugizo.[116] The group released their first single, "The Last Rockstars (Paris Mix)", in December of the same year.[117]
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On March 14, 2009, Miyavi marriedJapanese-American singerMelody.[118] The couple has three children, Lovelie "Aily" Miyavi (born July 29, 2009, in Japan), Jewelie Aoi (born October 21, 2010, in Japan), and Skyler Kakeru (born February 24, 2021, in the United States).[119][120][121][122][123] From 2014 to 2021, Miyavi and his family were living inLos Angeles,California, having moved to the area during the release of his filmUnbroken.[124] After the birth of his son Skyler, he and his family returned to Japan and currently live in Tokyo. After becoming a father, Miyavi toned down his on-stage attire.[125][126]
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Ryoma's Wife, Her Husband and Her Lover | cameo | ||
| 2003 | Oresama | himself | [127] | |
| 2014 | Unbroken | Mutsuhiro Watanabe | ||
| 2017 | Kong: Skull Island | Gunpei Ikari | ||
| 2018 | Bleach | Byakuya Kuchiki | ||
| Gangoose | Adachi | |||
| 2019 | Stray | Jin | ||
| Maleficent: Mistress of Evil | Udo | |||
| 2021 | Kate | Jojima | ||
| Bright: Samurai Soul | Kōketsu | Voice role | ||
| 2022 | Hell Dogs | Yoshitaka Toake | [128] | |
| 2023 | Familia | Kaito Enomoto | [129] | |
| 2024 | Yo Gabba GabbaLand | Guest | ||
| TBA | The Wrecking Crew † | TBA | Filming |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Followers | himself | ||
| 2021 | Arcane | Finn | Voice role |
| Year | Awards | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | MTV Europe Music Award | Best Japanese Act | Nominated | ||
| MTV Video Music Awards Japan | Best Collaboration | Day 1 (withYuksek) | Won | ||
| 2014 | Best Male Video | Horizon | Nominated |
from 382
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To further expand his activities abroad, MIYAVI will be working in Japan under 'MIYAVI' (previously 雅-MIYAVI-), […]
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Original quote: ｢Now I'm going for a more sophisticated and simplified look as a solo guitarist｣Alt URL
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